Taking into account only the two most popular mobile platforms- Android & iOS, there are today over 5 million applications available for a total device count of around 3 billion. With such astounding number of users, there is no doubt that mobile apps will continue to hold the lead in innovation and engagement in the mobile industry.

But mobile app developers are today reeling from an entirely different debate- the way those mobile apps would be created, more particularly, to choose between native and cross-platform version. And such concerns are indeed plausible because in an age where cars are assembled within hours, creating a native app takes months, even a year- the time during which new technologies can take charge and existing technologies risk being obsolete. And the worst part, developers have to spend the same time for each different platform they wish to reach.

The faster option- cross-platform applications, however, suffer with their own set of issues. Along with missing out on some core OS capabilities, the user experience they offer is at most mediocre. And since user experience is the key driver of mobile app revolution, cross-platform applications struggle to create their own success stories.

React Native- The best of both worlds

To give a little backstory, React is a JavaScript library launched in 2013 by Facebook to bring speed and simplicity to the web development and for once changed the way in which user interface was processed. Then in 2015, it announced the React Native libraries that provided React architecture upon which native applications for Android, iOS, and Windows could be built.

What it does differently

While native apps are built using full-scale languages like Java, Swift/Objective-C, etc., that offers high performance and user experience, cross-platform applications are built mainly using HTML5 and CSS to offer portability. React Native takes a cue from both by building applications using native APIs and JavaScript to serve both performance and portability. In short, it combines the user experience of native apps to the ease of web development using React. And the success of this approach can already be testified by some of the most popular apps like Facebook, Instagram, Airbnb, UberEATS, Walmart, etc., all of which are created using React Native.

Problems it Solves

Native Functionalities– Each platform/OS has its own specific UI components, which even if recreated through web apps, don’t offer the same level of interface and user experience. Since React Native, on the other hand, relies on WebViews inside simple native wrapper applications, that though isn’t as sophisticated as pure native experience, but scores much better than those web interfaces.

Native Performance– Another issue with web apps is that since they virtually work inside a browser, the resources they can access is limited, thus reflecting in their poor performance. React Native uses JavaScript to call into native APIs that provides it access to all the power of native environment to work at par with native apps.

Benefits of React Native app development

Portability

The foremost benefit of React Native application development is the high portability it offers. React Native developers can easily migrate almost half of the original codebase, including the crucial app logic from one platform to another. This not only cuts short the development time, but also minimizes the chances of bugs creeping in, if the logic had to be coded again from scratch.
Additionally, React is also ported to native code that enables it to leverage the full scope of native environment that gives a considerable boost to its performance.

User Interface

While this remained one of the major concerns regarding hybrid apps, the introduction of React Native has enabled the developers to create user interface and offer user experience at par with those of the native counterparts.

Incremental adoption

One of the best things about switching to React Native from your current technology is that you do not have to do it all at once. Being highly flexible, it allows you to create new components or convert existing components on the top of your existing application and thus move to React at your own pace without suffering any down time.

Uniformity

Though React Native highly encourages the concept of code reusability, it is not all that it was made for. More than “write once, run anywhere”, it pursues the concept of “learn once, write anywhere”, i.e, instead of iOS developers and Android developers who use fundamentally different technologies to create basically the same product, React Native developers are able to use basically the same technology to create different products.

Open source

And this is the cherry on top. Being an open source technology, the rate at which it evolves and the community support it offers is much greater than other related technology. Also, owing to the backing of tech giant Facebook, more and more large enterprises too are adopting the technology, thus paving the way for a reliable and scalable platform in future.

Final remarks

The debate between native and hybrid apps is long drawn and isn’t expected to settle soon as there is no such thing as one-solution-for-all. However, one fact that everyone agrees upon is that, if you find hybrid apps will better align to your business, React Native development is the way to go. So, if you have your idea ready and want to hit the market soon without investing a fortune, consult a hybrid app development company now to get started.

Mrityunjay is a Content Developer at Konstant Infosolutions- a leading app development agency that caters to enterprises of all scales and industries with cutting-edge tech solutions. Being an engineer by education, a reader by passion, and a writer by profession, he finds no topic truly boring, yet nothing seems to content his craving as well- an essence he leaves in everything he writes.

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